the color of construction.

there is a lot of construction outside of n:c headquarters these days. we know that the final product–pocket parks in the sidewalks–will eventually help us forget about all the noise, dust and lack of parking but for now we try to find positives in the day to day chaos on north street. the other day we noticed a mess of orange in the construction yard and had to snap a photo of the cone party!

we all know neon is hot right but what about tone on tone neon?! could be the next big thing…

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internet finds: picnics.

1. bambu sporks

2. border stripe picnic blanket

3. DIY picnic basket (free downloadable project!)

4. bonne maman jam

5. thomas paul melamine plates

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happy picnic season!

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moustache baked goods. website.

if you’ve been to healdsburg in the last six months i hope you made a stop at Moustache Baked Goods. the fellas that run this joint know a thing or two about a thing or two.

there is a serious buzz going around about the dessert bars they’ve been creating for events and weddings around the county AND all the goings on at this craft cupcake shop.

we recently created a new website for them to showcase their services and menu on the inter web. now you can drool over their cupcake creations or contact them about your next event, while you stand in line at the store!

we are so proud to have been involved with this brand and to continue to support the moustache men as their business grows.

now go eat cake! and look at their new website…

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the color of succulents.

this amazingly colorful pot of succulents greeted me on the front porch of my parents house the other day and i had to take a photo because…look at all those colors.

how does nature know?! nothing. ever. clashes.

i’ve decided i’d like a sundress and a tablecloth in this palette for all my summer soirees.

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jm legal.

the JM Legal brand.

Jessica Muhleman came to us with a growing business–JM Legal–that was in need of a brand. Jessica is an attorney who focuses on providing legal support to growing businesses. Hooray, we need it!

She wanted a brand that was non-traditional for her industry, something vibrant and interesting that sets her apart. With no visual vision for her brand and great trust our skillz, she set us loose with no design boundaries [our own personal heaven!] to start creating.

Naturally we wanted to build in a very high level of professionalism but we wanted to push her brand a bit with some bold colors that she loves. We decide to pair blocks of white space with blocks of color and a line pattern around the edges to add interest but keep the very important text she is reviewing and writing separate and clean. There is no reason not to bring a little color and fun into your business, right?!

Jessica has created a niche in her industry by focusing on new and growing businesses. We are honored to be a part of building a brand that supports a sector of the community that we have such a heart for.

Remember JM Legal if you need any legal counsel. Jessica is a rock star with a head for law and great shoes. Our kind of gal…

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reimagine web content.

Another great article from Entreprenuer magazine about reimagining your web content to ease the pressure of always having to come up with new content. Here are some highlights and the main tips, but read the full article for the low down. super interesting and helpful.

“…treat everything you create not as a “one and done” but as a critical piece of a larger whole, an important link in a sustainable content ecosystem–a circle of life, if you will. Here are three ways to reimagine your material to create your own sustained-content food chain.”

Reorganize: “Deconstruct and repackage them into smaller pieces to reach as wide an audience as possible.”

Rewrite: “Freshen your “evergreens”–those timeless items on your site that never go out of style.”

Remix: “Remixing your content means re-creating it in another format–extending the ideas found in the original, but expressing them in a different way.”

“…the best tool for content development is often the most overlooked. And it’s the very thing you need most: imagination.”

Three cheers for imagination!

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the color of vacation.

we are so excited for summer. and sun. and swimming. last year i visited Flathead Lake in Montana on an epic road trip with a car full of lovely ladies. such good times.

i took this photo because of the lines of the boat house and the rich warm colors of the boat and the reflections in the water.

this warm palette makes us do high kicks in anticipation of a day at the river.

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h[eat]

wheelhouse fabrication.

during my handcar regatta days i met an amazingly talented group of folks, one of them was david farish.

we recently had the good fortune of being able to lead david through the process of developing his brand. david came to us during the initial phase of defining and naming his business and after he settled on a direction we designed a logo and applied it to his business cards and a postcard.

david is a fabricator of any and all things but he is also an artist so he builds with style. you may have seen some of his collaborative work with KBC flying down the tracks at the regatta or just pedaling around town. or perhaps you’ve been to a show, shop party or art opening at his shared shop, the feed barn. either way, he’s a man about town and ready to leave his mark.

we wanted to give him a strong industrial but artistic look so we kept it clean and simple but classed it up with a textured, grey-brown column stock and a blind emboss of his logo. most of his work is custom installations in commercial and residential spaces so we felt his card should be appropriate for his market and reflect his final product…professional, custom and beautiful.

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three dog stretch shack.

notion is lucky enough to offer continued support to three dog yoga for all of their design needs and recently we had the pleasure of collaborating with brain love of b. love art + design on an event booth design for earth day and the amgen tour de california bike race that starts in downtown santa rosa this weekend.

anna, owner of three dog yoga, always gives us free reign so we called up b. love–a fellow three dog yogi–to incorporate some of his patterned poses that can be seen around the studio to make an eye catching and energetic booth. we also created stickers modeled after the “i voted!” ones that we all wear with pride.

we thoroughly enjoyed working with b. love and think his style is off the chain. you should totally check him out. he’s kind of a big deal.

and stop by the stretch shack and get your stretch on this sunday in courthouse square! bring your moms.

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pantone releases 336 new colors.

creative brains require frequent rejuvenation. ’round these parts, we generally joke about our brains being “dry,” or not operating at peak efficiency. a few sips of water — or another form of liquid libation — will do the trick in most cases. other times, the need is more demanding, like an inspirational trip to the MOMA or an hour spent with some cutting edge design books + magazines.

rejuvenation can come in many forms, though, and Pantone’s release of 336 new colors is sure to inspire.

The 336 New Colors enrich the current PLUS SERIES palette, providing a more comprehensive selection. All color families are extended to include a wider variety of values, saturation and undertones – from subtle pastels and reliable mid-tones to the intensity of deep tones, vivid brights and vital, nuanced neutrals.

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